| Primary Position | Left fielder |
| Uniform number | 8 (1974), 9 (1975) |
| Draft | 1970 : 5th Round (106th) |
| Age | 55 |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in |
| Weight | 180 lb |
| Bats | Right |
| Throws | Right |
| College | San Diego Community College |
| Place of Birth | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Drafted by | California Angels |
| Major League experience | 2 |
| Major League Debut | September 10, 1974 (Age 23) |
| Last Major League Game | September 28, 1975 |
John Balaz was born on Friday, November 24, 1950, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Balaz was 23 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 10, 1974, with the California Angels.
Background
California Angels
On June 4, 1970 Balaz was drafted by the California Angels in the 5th round of the 1970 amateur baseball draft.
Balaz bagan to play in 1974, and appeared in 6 games at home, had 15 at-bats, drove in 0 runs, scored twice, had 2 hits (0 doubles / 0 triples / 0 home runs), walked 2 times (0 intentional), struck out 4 times, was hit by a pitcher 0 times, sacrificed 1 times (1 hits & 0 flies), stole 5 bases, was caught stealing 4 times, ground into 5 double plays, and finished at home with a .133 Batting average, .235 on base percentage and .133 slugging average.
On the road, Balaz appeared in 8 games, had 27 at-bats, drove in 5 runs, scored 2 times, had 8 hits (0 doubles / 0 triples / 1 home runs), walked 0 times (0 intentional), struck out 6 times, was hit by a pitcher 1 times, sacrificed 0 times (0 hits & 0 flies), stole 5 bases, was caught stealing 4 times, ground into 5 double plays, and finished at home with a .296 batting average, .321 on base percentage and .407 slugging average.
On March 3, 1976, the Angels traded John Balaz, Dick Sharon, and Dave Machemer, to Boston for former Red Sox star reliever Dick Drago.
Boston Red Sox
Balaz never played an inning for Boston. It was reported that Drago was sent to the Angels as "the player to be named later" for Denny Doyle (acquired the previous June). The Red Sox still sent minor league pitcher Chuck Ross to the Angels two days later to make everything look more legitimate.